Miles-tones

Who's Too Old To Rock & Roll?

It's entirely possible that the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney will each go on tour this year. With ages ranging from 63 to 69 among the four remaining core Stones, the band is obviously the oldest continuing touring rock act, capable of breaking ticket records almost 50 years into the game.

Macca, the most marketable surviving Beatle, is 68 years old, still recording great records and making surprisingly funny pop-culture cameos, including his "Yesterday" appearance on Jimmy Fallon.

People may scoff, but these guys are still kicking and making their mark as legends even as people their own age are supposed to be reaching for walkers, wheelchairs and canes. Robert Plant, 62, can still belt with trademark yowl, and Ozzy Osbourne, also 62, commanded the crowd like a dictator just this past week at Toyota Center. Lemmy Kilmister just turned 65 this past Christmas Eve, and he still punishes audiences with volume.

(This has been your Daily Rocks Off Lemmy Tidbit.)

These rock pioneers and country artists is that they are not aging conventionally, or going off into the dark silently. They still tour and pack houses, even if the younger set looks at them aghast as some sort gray-haired horde of zombies.

But sometimes age hasn't been kind to some of them, and the usual effects of life on humans on Earth takes it's toll. You can dye your hair, whiten your teeth, and get a facelift, but when it comes to vital organs, arms, and legs, and even your own sanity, things get harder to fake.

The first artist on our list, Jerry Lee Lewis, play's Nutty Jerry's in Winnie tonight. We should have a full report on him on Monday morning.

Let's look at the troubadors who have cleared the 65-year mark and grade their gigging ability.

Jerry Lee Lewis (75)

Shaky. He's a legend and the last of the Million Dollar Quartet, but you may be paying more for a curiosity than a musical showcase.

No. Please hang it up. Write a book, and remember to include all the dirty stuff if you can.

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Craig Hlavaty
Contact: Craig Hlavaty